Cortana

Personal Digital Assistant

2017

Microsoft Cortana

Cortana is designed to help you get things done. Ready on day one to provide answers and complete basic tasks, Cortana learns over time to become more useful every day. Count on Cortana to stay on top of reminders and work across your devices.

Primary Contributions

Most of what I work on is protected by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) so I've outlined my primary contributions below.

My role on the team spans from the 50,000ft level down to the 1ft level contributing to help define our overall strategy towards AI as a company down to designing a system of serviceable components that drive Cortana's overall experience.

AI Strategy

Product Envisioning

Core Components & Experience

Crafting a fluid Ecosystem

Cortana mainly competes against assistants such as Apple's Siri, Google's Google Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa which vary in their approach to device integration. Cortana is currently available on Windows 10 devices (phone, tablet, and PC), Xbox One, HoloLens, iOS, and Android. Recent announcements have also been made that she will be integrated into the Harman Kardon Invoke speaker as well as a new partnership with Amazon's Alexa. Part of my role is to identify opportunities to expand her ecosystem and develop patterns that work consistently across all of Cortana's touchpoints while respecting the unique capabilities of each.

Wherever you go, Cortana will followBecause life isn’t limited to one device, neither is she. Set a reminder on your PC and have it pop up on your phone, or home speaker and vice versa. She works across devices and platforms.

Proactive Notifications

Just like a good assistant would, Cortana works to filter out the noise and bring you the things that matter most. Starting by leveraging the notification systems across platforms, we're developing a notification structure that keep you in flow with what you need to do next so you don't have to worry about things falling through the cracks.

Reminds you of the commitments you've madeWe’ve all been in the situation where we’ve promised to do something in email, like send your boss a report by end of day, or purchase tickets to the movies for your date night. But the day goes on, emails pile up, and you quickly forget. Now Cortana has your back. Using machine learning technology developed in partnership with Microsoft Research, Cortana automatically recognizes when you make a commitment in email messages and will proactively suggest a reminder to you to follow through at just the right time.

Help you pick up where you left offWhen you switch computers, Cortana will display quick links in the Action Center to help you easily get back into Microsoft Edge websites and SharePoint (or other cloud-based) documents you used most recently. For example, if you were working on a PowerPoint deck on your laptop, when you later return to your desktop, a link to that deck appears in the Action Center.

BRIDGING PLATFORMS

Cortana was created to be a truly personal digital assistant – available on the go, no matter where or when you need help, and on whatever device you carry. That’s why it’s important to us that Cortana to not only the Windows 10 ecosystem, but to other platforms including iOS, Android and Cyanogen OS powered devices as a great companion experience to your Windows 10 PC. Utilizing the native notification platforms of each, Cortana was the first personal digital assistant to help you complete tasks across your devices, from PC to phone and vice versa regardless of your device of choice.

My Role

Currently lead design of different feature areas and endpoint experiences for Cortana. Duties include envisioning, strategy development, IA, wireframes, prototypes, visual designs, specs, and oversee development for different feature areas.